Businesses have achieved greater productivity in recent years by deploying mobile computing devices into the field to assist workers. For example, workers use vehicle-mount computers to display important information in the field. Vehicle-mount computers are computing devices that are specially designed to mount to a vehicle and be used by the vehicle operator. For instance, several types of vehicle-mount computers are available for installation and use in commercial vehicles including forklifts, warehouse vehicles, and delivery trucks and vans.
Vehicle-mount computer systems typically utilize a screen for displaying information to a vehicle operator or other occupant. The computer system may incorporate a touch screen, or other input device, so that the user can select desired information for display. A forklift operator may, for example, view inventory information, delivery location information, and delivery navigation information directly from the cabin of the forklift using a vehicle-mount computer. The various types of user-selected information may be displayed either individually on the full area of a vehicle-mount computer screen or simultaneously on the computer screen using split-screen or otherwise partitioned views.
Although businesses have effectively employed vehicle-mount computers to increase worker productivity and improve the inbound, internal, and outbound flow of resources, challenges exist relating to the display of information on vehicle-mount computer screens when a vehicle is in motion. When a vehicle is in motion, the information displayed must be easily read by the vehicle operator at a glance and, therefore, difficulties can result when multiple types of information are displayed simultaneously. Moreover, when in motion the operator may prefer that only certain information be displayed on the vehicle-mount computer such as, for example, navigation information or other information associated with a delivery or pick-up. Although a vehicle operator could potentially manually configure a vehicle-mount computer to display the desired information prior to placing the vehicle in motion, this is inefficient, particularly for vehicles that are continually picking up and delivering multiple items.
Therefore, a need exists for improved systems and methods for displaying information using a vehicle-mount computer so that information of interest selected by a driver will be automatically displayed during vehicle motion. More particularly, there exists a need for a system to obtain and store user-selected information on a vehicle-mount computer screen and automatically provide an easily-readable, zoomed view of the selected information when the vehicle is in motion.